This invention relates to plumbing fittings and more particularly, it relates to an adjustable toilet flange assembly for facilitating connection of a toilet to a waste pipe.
There has been a longstanding need in the plumbing and construction industries for an adjustable toilet flange assembly which is of low cost, easy to install in both new construction and existing buildings, and which provides both height and angular adjustment with a leak-proof connection between the toilet and the waste pipe.
In the prior art, there have been many attempts to meet the need for an adjustable toilet flange assembly but none has succeeded in satisfying the needs of plumbers and builders at reasonable cost. Most commonly, the current practice in both new construction and remodeling, is to use non-adjustable toilet flanges. In such practice, as shown in FIG. 6, the toilet flange 1 is made of plastic, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). It is a one piece flange which comprises a round pipe portion with a unitary flange portion at its upper end; the lower end is adapted for connection through a stub pipe 2 to a street-elbow 3 which is connected to a waste pipe 4. In new construction, such as a new house, the plumbing is roughed in at an early stage before the walls and flooring are closed. In the rough plumbing for a toilet, for example, the street elbow 3 is connected to the waste pipe 4 which runs to the sewer line. The waste pipe is joined to the elbow by a cemented joint 5. The upper hub of the elbow 3 is positioned under a cut-out in the sub-flooring S of the house where the toilet is to be located. When the toilet flange 1 is to be installed, the stub pipe 4 is cut as necessary to the required length for connecting the pipe portion of the flange 1 to the elbow 3. The toilet flange is positioned for installation by disposing the pipe portion through a hole in the sub-flooring S with the flange resting on the sub-flooring or on shims to space the flange portion a suitable height above the sub-flooring to allow for the installation of finish flooring. The toilet flange is rotatably positioned so that the bolt holes in the flange are oriented properly for alignment with the mounting holes in the base of the toilet which is to be installed later. With flange 1 properly oriented, cemented joints 5xe2x80x2 and 6 of the stub pipe are made. The installation of the toilet flange is completed by anchoring it to the sub-flooring by fasteners which extend through the flange portion. After the joints are cemented, it sometimes becomes necessary to change the height of the flange portion relative to the sub-flooring in order to accommodate a later selected finish flooring of greater thickness such as tile or marble. In this case, the existing toilet flange 1 and the elbow 3 have to be broken or cut at one or more cemented joints for removal and replacement. This is a costly procedure for changing a toilet connection during either new construction of a house or later remodeling.
In view of the current practice as described above there is a need for a low cost reliable toilet flange which can be adjusted in height and angular position during initial installation or later remodeling without destruction and replacement of fittings in the toilet connection.
There have been many attempts in the prior art to meet the need for an adjustable toilet flange. However, they have not met the requirements of low cost, reliability and simplicity. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,160 to Winn granted May 23, 2000 an adjustable toilet flange is described with a lower conduit which has screw threads adjacent the top end and an annular mounting flange adjacent the top end for securing the lower conduit to the underside of the floor. An upper conduit is provided with screw threads in its outer surface and an annular outer groove at the upper end. An annular bolt-down flange is rotatably disposed in the outer groove on the upper conduit for angular adjustment of the flange relative to the upper conduit. The upper conduit is connected with the lower conduit by the respective screw threads to provide for depth adjustment of the toilet flange.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,539 granted to Kaziah on May 9, 1989 discloses an adjustable closet flange having an upper member with an upper flange and a depending rib section with circular horizontal ribs joined by vertical ribs. It also has a lower flange member with an upstanding cylindrical collar adapted to receive the rib section of the upper flange member. Resilient retaining fingers attached to the lower member are insertable into spaces in the rib section for locking the upper and lower sections together at a desired height and angular orientation.
Other prior art patents pertaining to adjustable toilet flanges are: Dreier patent 872,331 granted Dec. 3, 1907; Farrell patent 903,280 granted Nov. 10, 1908; Oakes patent 1,042,465 granted Oct. 29, 1912; and McEwen patent 3,775,780 granted Dec. 4, 1973.
A general objective of this invention is to provide an improved adjustable toilet flange assembly and to overcome certain disadvantages of the prior art.
In accordance with this invention, an adjustable toilet flange assembly is provided comprising a flange member and an adapter member for connecting a toilet with a waste pipe having both height adjustment and angular adjustment of the flange member relative to the position of the drain pipe.
Further, in accordance with this invention, the flange member is removable from the adapter member or can be adjusted relative thereto without the need for removing the existing floor or plumbing and without installing a new flange member. This is accomplished by a threaded connection between the flange member and the adapter member together with a telescopic joint between the flange member and the adapter member with a fluid-tight seal in the joint.
Further, in accordance with this invention, the adapter member is angularly adjustable relative to the flange member through 360 degrees thus providing flexibility with respect to the final direction of the drain pipe.
Further, in accordance with this invention, a toilet flange assembly may be provided with a single standard size flange member and a selected adapter member which is appropriate for coupling with the existing drain pipe.
A complete understanding of this invention may be obtained from the detailed description that follows, taken with the accompanying drawings.